Center Profile

There are two primary directions for the Center for Alternative Fuels Research Programs in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. First, the Center serves as a focal point of the State of Wisconsin Alternative Fuels Fleet Pilot Project. This ongoing program enables state-owned and municipality-owned fleets to procure alternative-fueled vehicles for regular fleet service. In the case of state-owned fleets, alternative-fueled vehicles are paired with conventionally-fueled, but otherwise identical control vehicles in similar service. Emissions are checked periodically; all operating costs are traced and drivers are surveyed for their reactions to the vehicles.

To date, the pilot project has tested over 400 vehicles, which have accumulated over 13 million miles of service. The alternative fuels used in the program include CNG, E85, E10, and LPG. The testing is performed at the Emissions Testing Laboratory on Alois St. in Milwaukee. This facility consists of three test bays with a centrally-located control room. Current work on this project focuses on using the vehicle chassis dynamometer for automobile and light truck applications. The facility is currently set-up for performing standard 5-gas analyzer emission studies.

The second direction of research at the Center involves work with small (<25 hp) utility engines, on a low inertia horizontal/vertical small engine eddy current dynamometer. In the past, this work has included research on the effects of alternative fuels on the emissions from small engines, and the deterioration of exhaust emissions as the engine age. That work evolved into current projects which consider the source of combustion chamber deposits in the small engines, and the durability of catalytic converters when applied to small utility engines.